Simple Solutions That Work! Issue 18

51 HOW TO ISSUE Continued on next page T he workhorse of any foundry operation and its equipment revolves around its ability to handle, move, sort, elevate and discharge hot and heavy parts and materials. Since the typical foundry will move hundreds of tons of material, this motion needs to be seamless and is critical to all other functions of the operation that rely on parts or materials for further processing. It’s hard to imagine that production can be halted due to installing a conveyor that is not appropriately designed for a specific application. However, using the wrong conveyor in the wrong area of your foundry line can render a non-functional conveyor leading to issues such as unnecessary downtime, costly maintenance repairs, and ultimately, your foundry’s bottom line. Belt conveyors are sometimes used for green sand coming from the shakeout to storage, and storage to the muller, etc. and are also commonly used for handling various bulk materials. However, they are not a good choice for handling hot castings, hot sand, or abrasive materials. While the initial price may seem attractive, if used for more demanding handling operations they will require continuous belt repair and replacement, leading to expensive downtime. For this discussion we will concentrate on vibratory conveyors that are designed specifically to handle hot, heavy castings and hot sand used for both green sand and chemically bonded applications. The foundry environment is not the only industry that handles, moves, and processes hot, heavy, and abrasive materials. Many of the conveyors used in the foundry industry came out of the bulk processing world. Bulk processing and handling equipment has been tested repeatedly in mining and chemical industries where it has proven its ability to be long-lasting under difficult and demanding environments. VIBRATORY CONVEYORS Vibratory conveyors used for foundry operations must be flexible and have the ability to be configured in a variety of ways to fit a specific application, for example, conveying, drying, cooling, scrap handling, screening, separation, elevating or distribution. From moving and sorting scrap or mold dump and cooling, to removing sand from hot castings while letting them cool evenly for the required retention time, vibratory conveyors are used throughout the foundry operation for critical functions. They are also relied upon to move mold sand after shakeout downstream to the sand system and return the sand to the molding area storage hoppers where it may be reused. While some have tried to use belt conveyors due to their initial low cost for these types of processes, the cost of ownership is much higher in comparison to robust, custom vibratory conveyors. The flexibility of vibratory foundry conveyors cannot be understated. They can be designed to handle the smallest, most delicate castings up to the largest and heaviest on the same machine. These units must be able to withstand harsh environments while continuing to perform. Vibratory Conveyor Foundry Applications CHUCK MITCHELL VP of Sales and Marketing Carrier Vibrating Equipment, Inc. ARTICLE TAKEAWAYS: • Vibratory conveyors are extremely flexible - moving, elevating, and distribution • High temperature applications – hot and heavy castings and hot sand